Thanks to our donors…

Dear alumni and friends of the School of Medicine,

Last November, BUSM professor emeritus and 2008 Nobel Laureate Dr. Osamu Shimomura shared with a packed house of BUSM faculty, staff, and students his Nobel Prize lecture on discovering green fluorescent protein—the molecule that makes certain jellyfish glow. He also recounted the tale of his research career: from his struggles to get an education after surviving the Nagasaki bombing, to scientific epiphanies he had while collecting jellyfish in a rowboat, to the day when he finally persuaded a nearly forgotten sample in a sink to achieve fluorescence.

His story illustrates the roles that diligence, creativity, perseverance, reflection, good fortune play in research. It also illustrates how incremental advances on the part of multiple researchers can change the medical landscape—and ultimately, patients’ lives. Shimomura’s protein was just that—a protein—when he discovered it, but others transformed it into a biomarker that helps scientists watch the development of nerve cells in the brain, track how cancer spreads, and monitor other previously invisible biological processes.

At BUSM, we are blessed with deep reservoirs of energy and creativity, among our faculty, students, and staff alike.  Their work is supported by a dedicated and generous donor community.  When these resources come together—when creativity receives sustained support—work like Osamu Shimomura’s becomes possible.

We live in challenging economic times, which have compelled us—like all other great research institutions—to make choices, and to concentrate our resources on key initiatives.  But thanks to our donors, the School’s educational mission, programs, and outreach have continued to thrive. One particularly bright point in our recent history was a pledge of $10.5 million from Shamim (CGS’76, CAS’78, MED’87) and Ashraf Dahod—the single largest individual gift to the School of Medicine in our history. Their gift will establish a breast cancer research center and support the building of our new student residence.

Large gifts are a critical piece of our philanthropic landscape.  So are smaller gifts, which collectively add up to a vital, sustaining source of income for this School.

How do donor generosity and loyalty help us in our work?  As noted, they help us mount ambitious research programs.  But they also help us support our students, who are the physicians and researchers of tomorrow.  This year, for example, we were able to distribute $1.25 million in scholarship support to our students—an increase of almost $200,000 over last year—thanks to donors who established and supported scholarship funds. To date, we’ve raised $11.3 million for our new student residence, which will give our students an affordable, safe, and convenient place to live while they pursue their studies on the Medical Campus.

Thank you for your interest in the Boston University School of Medicine.  We hope you will consider supporting our mission, and our ambitions.

Best wishes,

Karen Antman, MD
Provost, Medical Campus
Dean, School of Medicine